Letters to the Editor

It’s time to stop the game playing

Coast Guard families told they can have garage sales to support themselves and their families.

I read that headline in the news yesterday and couldn’t believe it. I have been a fisherman for years and worked in the marine insurance industry. All mariners, fishermen, sportsmen, and professional seamen go to sea knowing that freak accidents and disasters can happen at any time. We go with the knowledge that highly trained Coast Guard men and women are standing watch 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Ready to respond to any hazardous situation that occurs.

I watched Coos Bay Coast Guard air crews air lift 19 crewmen off the freighter “Blue Magpie” stranded on the end of the north jetty at Newport in 70 knot cross winds while taking salt spay in their engines. The Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria has multiple videos of motor life boat rescues off Peacock and Clatsop spits at the mouth of the Columbia river. The Coast Guard rescues from the Kodiak air station and in the Bering Sea are legendary.

These young men and women are highly trained professionals that risk their lives every day to save American lives and property. They deserve better than an American government that tells them we can’t pay you but you have to stay on the job. Telling the families that they can have garage sales, get baby sitting jobs, or dog walking jobs is an embarrassment to me as an American and our nation as a whole.

Our President and Republican and Democratic Congressmen were elected to lead the nation. Lead. Stop the game playing. Show the professional leadership and courage that the young men and women of the Coast Guard exhibit every day.

Mike Becker

Newport

Thanks for making a great event

We would like to thank Coos Bay Schools Superintendent for his great support in helping set up the Coos Bay Elks Hoop Shoot contest for boys and girls ages 8-13. Over 950 youth in the Coos Bay schools participated. We have six students traveling to Ashland for the District Hoop Shoot and winners there have a chance to travel to Silverton for the state contest, on to Vancouver, Wash., for the Regional contest and culminating in Chicago for the national contest.

We also had the support of seven Marshfield JV players that took time to help us, also.

Finally, a big thank you to all the students and families that made this a great event. We are already planning for a bigger event next year.We had a great turnout of Elks and their families helping.

So thank you again Superintendent Bryan Trendell for making this all happen.

Lou Kolkhorst

Coos Bay

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